Harry Potter and the Half Blood Royals
by TigerEyes32
Summary: Harry's sixth year is a time of questioning trust. His final battle with Voldemort is a lot more difficult than he had suspected. New teachers, creatures and evil! Another year at Hogwarts! R&R!


** Chapter 1**

** Of OWL Results and Owls**

The sun shone lazily down on number 4 Privet Drive, Casually spreading its rays to the very tip of each and every nook and cranny. It shone harder, much harder on the dried up hedge under which a rather well built but skinny young man lay, his arms under his head, his bright green eyes glaring up at the dryness of the hedge.

A bottle of cold water gone warm sat resolutely next to him and his throat felt more parched than ever.

This young man was Harry Potter, and once again he found himself wishing that even the sight of his least favorite professor, Snape would be a welcome sight at this point of his summer vacation.

With three weeks of summer left, in Harry's mind, three excruciating weeks, he was losing hope that he would ever return home to what he considered his real family in the burrow. His best friends Ron and Hermione were both probably at the order of the phoenix headquarters devouring all the information given to them about Lord Voldemort.

While he was the one who needed it.

Just a few months ago, Professor Dumbledore had told him that he was either going to live or die in his next encounter with Voldemort. It was prophesized.

This was the summer after he faced the worst experience in his life.

This was the summer he had to survive after his Godfather was killed by the Dark Lord. Tears stung his eyes and he though back to the day Bellatrix Lestrange had cast an unforgivable curse to kill Sirius. The only person he had ever had which was close to a parent.

Harry shut his eyes just at the thought of Sirius's death and tried hard to make the thought disappear. But that didn't help him. Because as soon as he shut his eyes, Sirius's once handsome, wasted face appeared before him.

Nightmares plagued him almost on a daily basis but he managed to get his fair share of dreamless sleep thanks to a potion Dumbledore had sent with him to help him.

But even that couldn't stop his thoughts which were constantly about Sirius.

_Stop _he said to himself, _stop torturing yourself. Sirius is dead... at least try to accept the fact._

Harry was just a baby when his parents had died. But now, he was old enough to comprehend and understand pain. Sirius was someone who he had come to know and love dearly.

He had answered questions about his family, his father, his grandparents and the way they were in school.

For the time he was around, Harry felt like he had family. Now...

Now there was nothing.

Just pain.

What's worst was, that everyone he knew or had come to love seemed to have forgotten him.

So far the Owls had been few and far between and none of them were very long.

_'Harry,_

_ just wanted to tell you we're fine. We have a lot to talk about. But the Owls are being deciphered so we'll tell you when you are here, _

_Hermione'_

The one from Ron who was hardly as intelligent as Hermione but certainly a better person to talk to when it came to letters and owls, was even shorter in his letter.

_'Harry,_

_ how are you mate? Things here are just fine, waiting for you to join us._

_Ron_

_PS Mum sends her love.__ '_

Harry tried to be understanding, he really did.

But no matter how hard he tried, nothing excused the fact that he was the one resting under the hedge waiting for the most important letter of the summer to come whilst those two had each other. And an idle brain being the devil's workshop also meant that all he could think of was this letter.

The letter that announced his OWL result.

Slowly he got up and capped his bottle, chucking the muggle papers he was reading into the waste paper basket. The TV had been turned off by uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia stood at the front of the house her mouth pursed over her horse like teeth.

"Boy! Harry! Come in here for a moment!"

Harry slowly got up and stretched to irritate his aunt who was tapping her foot in impatience. He grinned as he dragged his feet. Moody's threat had made sure that none of the Dursleys made him even slightly uncomfortable.

He casually walked through the front door when he heard his uncle shout "Boy, you better HURRY UP!!!"

Harry's grin became larger as he imagined his uncle's big bulging eyes and puce face turn a deep purple in anger.

Harry thrust his hands into his pocket and walked into the living room where his uncle sat heaving.

"Some ruddy owl of yours got the wrong window. This is yours." He tossed a pale parchment envelope across the table as though it was something disgusting.

Harry's grin vanished. He gulped hard and picked up the envelope.

It was one that confirmed his worst suspicions. The dark emerald ink with his name on it could only belong to Hogwarts School.

A corner read 'Ministry of Magical Education' in curling script.

He looked up at his uncle who had quickly returned to whatever he was reading in the paper. He glanced over at his aunt who was busy with the dishes.

Harry pushed the envelope into the back pocket of his baggy jeans and rushed up to his room.

Shutting the door he sat on the bed an incredibly nervous feeling in his gut. He doubted that even after all the encounters with Voldemort he had never dealt with anything this frightening.

His heart in his throat he opened the letter.

"_Mr. Potter,_

_We are pleased to invite you to be a sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. We also congratulate you on your acceptable performance in your Ordinary Wizarding Levels._

_Here are your results:-_

_Herbology - E/O_

_Defence against the Dark Arts - O/O_

_Potions - E/A_

_Transfiguration - O/E_

_Charms - O/O_

_Astronomy - D_

_Divination - D_

_History of Magic - A_

_Care of Magical Creatures - O/O_

_Total number of OWLs - 8"_

Surprised? He certainly was. He didn't know how he pulled it off but somehow, he had done well in his OWLs! At least well enough to become an Auror.

His face broke into a grin as he pulled out and read his suggested courses and books requirements. The previous term he had had a career session with Professor McGonagall and she had included only Auror's books and works for his NEWTs.

"_Occlumency to be taken with Professor. Dumbledore._

_Initiation into Auror Ethics to be taken with Professor Moody._

_Advanced Career Potions to be taken with Professor Snape._

_NEWT level Transfigurations - Professor McGonagall _

_Advanced Defense Against the Dark Arts to be taken with Professors Lupin and Kingsley._

_Advanced Magical Creatures - Professor Lexington and Professor Hagrid. _

_Your books will arrive in a week._"

That was it.

Also the fact that that year, Order members were going to be teaching them. He was keen to take Defense against the Dark Arts with Lupin once more who was by far his favorite defense against the dark arts teacher. Even potions with Snape did not look bad at that point.

Harry lay back on his bed and smiled his first smile in weeks. Suddenly his life was looking a lot brighter albeit the small curse known as Voldemort. He glanced outside and realized that he had been in this room for probably over an hour and that he had missed dinner.

But he didn't care.

He got out of his bed and reached below a plank to grab a can of coke and a pear.

Before leaving Hogwarts for once he had the sense to change a few Galleons into muggle money, that was pounds and having escaped after dinner one day he had bought food from the local store that was a neighborhood away.

Crunching on his pear he glanced out into the night when he heard a faint swoop of feathers that was unmistakably an owl. His own owl, Hedwig hooted resolutely in her cage. He looked over at her sympathetically.

Digging into his backpack he found a few treats for her which he had bought previously at diagon alley.

Harry could not let Hedwig out again because it was so dangerous. The previous time she had taken a letter from Hogwarts, she had been attacked. Now, he only used her for Short Distance communication.

The barn owl, whose swoop he had heard was perched on the window sill and was hooting louder and louder at being ignored.

"Alright, alright! Keep it down!" hissed Harry at the owl as he un scrolled the letter on its leg.

The owl, who was obviously not told to get a reply gave a small hoot of goodbye and flew out of the window as quietly as he had come.

Something gave him the feeling that this was not going to be good news.

Harry opened the parchment with shaking hands.

'_Dear Harry,_

_Please pack your things tonight. We're sending Tonks and Moody to get you tomorrow at 7. Something amazing and terrible has happened. More information when you come here._

_Remus_.'

Terrible _and_ amazing? Was this one piece of news? Or two different ones? How was it possible for one piece of news to be terrible _and_ amazing?

_Professor Lupin was probably trying to write about two different pieces of news._

That was when he noticed the post script.

_'PS Harry I know this is not the right time to mention this, but the news concerns Sirius.'_

Harry's hands clutched the letter as he felt a tiny ray of hope surge through him. Maybe Sirius was not dead after all! Maybe someone did go through the veil to bring him back!

But a little voice in the back of his head said 'You know that's probably not it...don't fool yourself.'

Sighing, more confused about Sirius's death than ever before, Harry got up and headed to the window. Starring out into the black velvet sky that was bright with jewel like stars, he noticed the dog star gleam viciously and then disappear from sight entirely.

All traces of the absurd happiness he had felt a few hours ago disappeared.


End file.
